Title: 📝 3.2. Introduction
Course: "Our networks, our security" Digital Security with a Gender Perspective > Section: Module 3. Identifying Common Threats: Online Gender-Based Violence against Women and Girls

Welcome to the module 3!🎉

You’ve made it this far—great job! After the first two modules, I hope you're feeling more confident about cybersecurity and ready to dive into a critical issue: online gender-based violence.

In this module, we’ll break things down into clear and simple concepts so you can easily recognize gender-based online threats and start adopting cybersecurity practices to better protect yourself.

Why is this important?

While anyone can face risks online, women experience certain types of violence facilitated by new technology more frequently and more intensely than men. This includes:

🚨 Sexual harassment

🚨 Non-consensual sharing of intimate photos and videos

🚨 Sextortion (blackmail involving explicit content)

🚨 Identity theft and impersonation

🚨 Sexual exploitation through technology

Simply being online can put women at risk, especially when they participate in public discussions, engage in politics, or speak out on gender equality and human rights.

Technology as a tool for control

Sadly, technology is also being used in cases of intimate partner violence. Some abusers manipulate personal data, track, elf-Reflection: Have You Experienced Online Gender-Based Violence?

Before diving into this module, take a moment to reflect on your own experiences online. Answering "yes" to any of these questions might help you recognize situations of technology-facilitated gender-based violence that you’ve faced—even if you didn’t realize it at the time.control, and even harass their partners through phones, social media, or other digital tools.

Recognizing the problem

One of the biggest challenges is that many women don’t always realize when they are experiencing online gender-based violence. Even when something feels wrong, it can be hard to name it or understand exactly what's happening. This is made worse by the way society and the media often downplay or normalize these harmful behaviors.

That’s why this module is so important—because awareness is the first step to protecting yourself and others. Let’s get started! 🚀

Self-Reflection: Have You Experienced Online Gender-Based Violence?

Before diving into this module, take a moment to reflect on your own experiences online. Answering "yes" to any of these questions might help you recognize situations of technology-facilitated gender-based violence that you’ve faced—even if you didn’t realize it at the time.

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💡 If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, you are not alone. Many women experience online violence, often without realizing it. A quick look at your social media or conversations with friends might reveal that these experiences are more common than they should be.

As we’ll explore in this module, online gender-based violence is widespread and deeply impacts our ability to navigate digital spaces safely.